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England received a timely boost ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy, with opener Ben Duckett being declared fit for the tournament, beginning on February 19. Duckett, who had sustained a groin injury while fielding during the third ODI against India in Ahmedabad last Wednesday, underwent scans, and the results confirmed that the injury was not serious.
Pakistan's Champions Trophy preparations were dealt a huge blow on Friday, as the tournament hosts lost the tri-nation series final to New Zealand by 5 wickets. For New Zealand, it was all about the bragging rights as both teams will square off at the same venue in the opening match of the Champions Trophy on February 19. However, during the final, a bizarre incident took place in Karachi as a black cat entered the ground, resulting in the halt of play for a few minutes.
The Champions Trophy 2025 starts in less than a week's time. The Champions Trophy 2025 will be held in Pakistan and Dubai this time. The Indian cricket team will be playing all its matches in Dubai including the knockouts if it qualifies. Many teams like India, Australia, England had to make last-minute changes to their Champions Trophy squads due to injuries to top players. February 11 was the last day to make changes to the squads. (Champions Trophy 2025 Live Coverage)
New Zealand secured a five-wicket victory over Pakistan in the tri-nation series final in Karachi, strengthening their position in the ICC Men's ODI team rankings, as per Wisden. Chasing a target of 243, New Zealand comfortably reached the total in just 45.2 overs, with key contributions from Daryl Mitchell (57), captain Tom Latham (56), Devon Conway (48), Kane Williamson (34), and Glenn Phillips (20*). Despite a recent dip in form, Latham played a crucial role in guiding his team to victory.
The India senior men's cricket team, led by opener Rohit Sharma, have departed for Dubai from Mumbai to participate in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy, starting from February 19. All Group A matches of the Indian team will be held at the Dubai International Stadium, while the rest of the games will take place in Pakistan. Visuals from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai showed Rohit & Co, along with the support staff, checking into the airport to take their flight to Dubai.
Legendary Australia cricketer Adam Gilchrist said stand-in captain Steve Smith should be slotted in as an opener in the ODI team for the upcoming Champions Trophy, citing it as a way of maximising the number of deliveries he can face in the side's matches in Pakistan. In Australia's heavy 2-0 ODI series loss in Sri Lanka, Smith made 12 and 29 as a middle-order batter. But with young Jake Fraser-McGurk in an inconsistent run of form, Gilchrist feels Smith has to open the batting, though he finds Matt Short as an interesting option to partner with Travis Head at the top.
The Champions Trophy starts next week with a match between Pakistan and New Zealand. While the top eight ODI teams are competing in the marquee event, the one match that all fans in the sub-continent are looking forward to is the India vs Pakistan match, which will take place in Dubai on February 23. While the arch-rivalry between the two teams is legendary, this time the match hold extra significance in the back-drop of what happened in the build-up of the Champions Trophy 2025.
Pakistan cricket was at its unpredictable best during the tri-nation series against New Zealand and South Africa, just ahead of the Champions Trophy 2025. After being thumped by New Zealand in the first game of the tri-series, Pakistan pulled off the incredible, chasing down 353 against South Africa and booking their spot in the final. But in the final, Pakistan flattered to deceive, being well-beaten by New Zealand again. To add to it, they committed a fair few errors as well.